Ohio State in a beauty contest to get to BCS title game

With a bloodied scab on the bridge of his nose and an offensive lineman’s face only a mother could love, Corey Linsley laughed when a question was prefaced with a beauty contest. Linsley won’t win a beauty contest, but the Buckeyes are in one right now.

With a bloodied scab on the bridge of his nose and an offensive lineman’s face only a mother could love, Corey Linsley laughed when a question was prefaced with a beauty contest.

Linsley won’t win a beauty contest, but the Buckeyes are in one right now.

How can third-ranked Ohio State get to the BCS National Championship Game with three games left in the season? Maybe they can’t.

“It is what it is,” Linsley said. “There’s nothing we can do about it. There’s no lobbying we can do at this point to change the BCS formula. The only thing we can concentrate on is how do we advance further in the BCS and keep ahead of Baylor and get to the national championship.”

A step in that direction is by beating Indiana at 3:30 Saturday at Ohio Stadium. A Buckeye win would clinch the Leaders Division and get Ohio State to its first Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis. The likely opponent there is Michigan State, and that’s important.

This week there isn’t likely to be much change in the rankings. No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Florida State both have the kind of patsies Ohio State is criticized for playing early in the season. Alabama hosts Chattanooga, and Florida State has Idaho.

Baylor, on the other hand, is at No. 10 Oklahoma State. The Bears’ 29-point win at home against Texas Tech was more impressive than Ohio State’s 25-point road win at Illinois to Associated Press voters and Baylor jumped the Buckeyes in the AP poll, which is a non-factor in the BCS formula.

“It is the way that it is,” Linsley said. “When we’re disappointed by (winning) 60-35 — we didn’t cover whatever spread we needed to to score enough points to boost up our rating in the BCS. That’s another reason we were disappointed in the way we played. It’s reality.”

After Saturday’s games, the next two weeks could get interesting. The Buckeyes can hold on to this nugget:

Since 2006, the teams ranked Nos. 1-2 in the BCS with three weeks left only played for the national title once — in 2010.

In 2007, Ohio State was ranked No. 7 in the BCS at this point in the season and ended up playing LSU for the national title that season. Not only did the Buckeyes get there, they were No. 1 in the final BCS rankings.

Next week’s games could make things interesting. First, Ohio State has to go on the road and beat rival Michigan in a game that would save the Wolverines’ season. Already putting that game as a win would be foolish by Ohio State.

Page 2 of 2 - Alabama is at No. 6 Auburn next week and Florida State is at rival Florida, which is having a bad season. However, the sexual assault investigation that involves Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston, could be problematic. If Winston is charged with a crime, he would be suspended under Florida State’s code of conduct for athletes.

Baylor still could give the Buckeyes a headache. However, if Ohio State wins out and beats a top 15 Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship Game, that should be enough to hold off the Bears. Remember, Baylor does not play in a conference championship game.

Baylor hosts TCU next week and Texas the following week in a game that could be Mack Brown’s final as Texas’ head coach.

After next week, presuming Alabama and Florida State win the next two, both would play conference championship games. Both would be favorites in those games, too.

It is still entirely possible Urban Meyer could win his first 25 games as Ohio State’s head coach and not play for a national championship.

Meyer, earlier this week, called the BCS a “flawed system.” However, he didn’t seem to be complaining. He has dialed back on lobbying for his team because he thought it was a distraction a week ago.

“We have to make sure our focus is on getting better each week instead of all the national stuff,” Meyer said. “I think I’m learning a lesson to just shut my mouth and quit worrying about this and that.”